Lawmakers to review regents’ applications

Key state lawmakers Tuesday sent a letter to Gov. Rick Perry, asking to review all application forms and “supplemental material” filed by current members of the University of Texas Board of Regents, as well as two new appointees who have not yet taken office.

The request comes on the heels of a report by the Texas Tribune that Regent Wallace Hall failed to disclose a lawsuit relating to a business bankruptcy, although the official state document required of prospective regents asks for the information. This week, Hall told Texas Monthly in an interview that he listed the bankruptcy and informed the governor’s office of the related litigation. After the Tribune’s report, Hall filed a supplemental application listing the additional litigation.

Lawmakers and UT regents have been engaged in a power struggle over whether some of Perry’s appointees have overstepped the proper role of governing boards. Legislators have accused some regents of engaging in a “witch hunt” to find an excuse to fire UT-Austin President William C. Powers.